Jered Weaver wins road debut as Angels beat Tribe

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jered Weaver might not be making any upcoming
trips to Utah, Arkansas or Rancho Cucamonga.

After two impressive starts in the majors, Weaver may have left
the minor leagues in his rearview mirror.

"I definitely want to stay up here," he said.

Weaver took a two-hit shutout into the seventh inning and won
his second straight start in the majors, leading the Los Angeles
Angels to a 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Friday
night.

Until the Indians pushed a run across in the seventh on
consecutive hits, Weaver was on his way to trumping his dazzling
debut of May 27, when he limited Baltimore to three hits in seven
scoreless innings.

The right-hander may not be known as Jeff Weaver's little
brother much longer.

"He's got the makeup," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
"He's not afraid to challenge guys. He has shown that at Salt Lake
and now here. His command is terrific for a guy with a complicated
delivery, which is why we are every excited about what he can do
for us."

Weaver allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings, walked
two and struck out eight. The Indians managed to get just one
runner to second base before the seventh when Casey Blake singled
and scored on Ben Broussard's double.

Scioscia then replaced Weaver, who threw 99 pitches -- two more
than against the Orioles.

For six innings, the 23-year-old dominated the Indians, who came
in as the second-highest scoring team in the majors and with the
AL's second-best batting average (.290). They had never seen the
lanky Weaver other than on videotape, and he was even more
impressive in person.

His unorthodox delivery -- he briefly turns his back to the
plate, making it tough to pick up the ball -- baffled the Indians.
Beyond that, Weaver's fastball was consistently in the low 90s and
he occasionally mixed in a slider and changeup.

"For a young kid, he's pretty poised," Indians outfielder
Jason Michaels said. "This is his only second year in pro ball,
but he has a lot of poise out there. He knows how to pitch and uses
his stuff."

The Angels had a season-high six steals, running at will against
Johnson and backup catcher Tim Laker.

Michaels homered for the Indians, who are 6-16 against the
Angels at home since 2001.

Angels center fielder Chone Figgins helped keep the Indians off
the scoreboard with a sensational catch in the fourth that turned
into a double play.

Travis Hafner walked and Blake hit a hard liner to center that
initially looked like it might clear the wall. But Figgins sprinted
back and made a lunging catch on the warning track before crashing
into the padding.

Hafner never stopped running on the play, and was standing on
third when Figgins threw back to the infield to double him up.

"That play was unbelievable," Weaver said.

Weaver's strong start could make things interesting when the
Angels get back Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon, who is out
with a shoulder injury. Scioscia may have to chose one of the
Weavers to stay in his rotation.

"We'll see how things pan out," Scioscia said. "We have
time."

Guerrero gave the Angels a 2-0 lead in the first with his 14th
homer.

Orlando Cabrera reached on a fielder's choice before Guerrero
ripped a 2-2 pitch over the 19-foot-high wall in left and hitting
directly under a fan's handwritten sign that said: "Beware Of The
Vlad."

Johnson's wildness got him into trouble in the second. He issued
two one-out walks and Adam Kennedy -- the Angels' No. 9 hitter --
made him pay with an RBI single. Figgins followed with a sacrifice
fly that made it 4-0.

Johnson has just one win in his last eight starts, and the
right-hander was edgy with reporters afterward.

"It's you guys who are putting me under the microscope," he
said. "I don't think it has anything to do with me. If that's what
you guys want to do, that's fine. I don't care what anybody else
thinks."

Game notes

Anderson's homer was his first in 123 at-bats. ...
Including his last three starts at Triple-A, Weaver had pitched 40
consecutive scoreless innings before giving up Broussard's double.
... Michaels has a career-high 11-game hitting streak. ... ... The
Weavers are the 17th set of brothers to be on the same major league
pitching staff. ... Mota, a major disappointment in his first
season with Cleveland, has allowed eight homers in 23 2-3 innings.